Books by "Dr William P. Brown"
5 books found
Were holy men historical figures or figments of the theological imagination? Did the biographies devoted to them reflect facts or only the ideological commitments of their authors? For decades, scholars of late antiquity have wrestled with these questions when analysing such issues as the Christianization of Europe, the decline of paganism, and the 'rise of the holy man' and of the hagiographical genre. In this book Peter Turner suggests a new approach to these problems through an examination of a wide range of spiritual narrative texts from the third to the sixth centuries A.D.: pagan philosophical biographies, Greek and Latin Christian saints' lives, and autobiographical works by authors such as Julian and Augustine. Rather than scrutinizing these works for either historical facts or religious and intellectual attitudes, he argues that a deeper historicity can be found only in the interplay between these types of information. On the textual level, this analysis recognises the genuine commitment of spiritual authors to write truthfully and to record realistically a world felt to be replete with spiritual and symbolic meaning. On the historical level, it argues that holy men, expecting the same symbolism within their own lives, adopted lifestyles which ultimately provoked and confirmed this world view. Such praxis is detectable not only in the holy men who inspired biography but also in the period's scattered autobiographical writings. As much a historical as a textual phenomenon, this spiritually-minded scrutiny of the world created interpretations which were always open and contested. Therefore, this book also associates spiritual narrative texts with only one possible voice of religious experience in a constant dialogue between believers, opponents, and the sceptical undecided.
Building on recent developments in biblical studies, this book introduces the prophetic literature of the Old Testament against the background of today's postmodern context and crisis of meaning. Pulsating with anxiety over the empire--Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian--the prophet corpus is a disturbing cultural expression of lament and chaos. Danger, disjunction, and disaster bubble beneath the surface of virtually every prophetic text. Sometimes in denial, sometimes in despair, and sometimes in defiance, the readers of this literature find themselves living at the edge of time, immediately before, during, or after the collapse of longstanding symbolic, cultural, and geo-political structures. These written prophecies not only reflect the social location of trauma, but are also a complex response. More specifically, prophetic texts are thick meaning-making maps, tapestries of hope that help at-risk communities survive.
Difference can enrich us or tear us apart. Difference can make our lives stronger, fuller, and richer or it can destroy them. Therefore, how we engage difference matters. Conflicts between different peoples around the world, the movement of refugees from nation to nation, tensions over immigration, and growing diversity within our society bring difference to our doorstep daily. We can engage people who are different constructively and compassionately, or we can allow the fear of difference to distance us from others and to demonize them. At a time when racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious differences have created heightened tensions, we need more than ever to find our bearings. We need to re-examine what we think about difference. Author Theodore “Ted” Hiebert re-examines the Bible’s stories explaining difference and its beginnings in the book of Genesis, exposing the inclination to interpret these stories as a negative view of difference. These stories recognize difference as God’s intention for the world, providing us with constructive resources of living with difference today. Hiebert starts with the story of “The Tower of Babel” and moves beyond it to examine how Genesis’s writers saw their unique identity and role in the world not as separate from all others but as members of the human family of which they were a part. He presents how biblical characters lived with difference and how the first Christians embraced difference. Finally, he invites the reader into new conversations about our biblical traditions that reveal a respect for difference, a generosity toward others, a desire to include rather than exclude, and a continuing interest in negotiating difference in ways that build relationships rather than destroy them.
Engaging and accessible to students from all backgrounds, this book is a comprehensive introduction to the Old Testament. It is designed to equip readers with the knowledge and skills needed to read, interpret, and benefit from the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in their own context. Using scholarly consensus and current research with numerous examples, this book helps prepare students for further advanced courses related to exegesis, individual books, and special topics. It also provides a balanced approach to controversial areas in biblical scholarship such as violence, sexuality, and slavery. More importantly, this introduction understands the Old Testament as a resource for the human quest for meaning making it an essential tool for helping students appropriate this, often neglected, part of the Bible for their own faithful living. It includes at-a-glance sections to highlight matters of special interest- including material about important ancient Egyptian west Asian documents; significant archaeological excavations; a demonstration of textual criticism; problematic translation issues such as Gen 1:1, Isa 7:14, or Job 19:25; special problems such as the chronology of the kings and the dating of the second fall of Jerusalem.
Is There Not A Cause? There are many books written about the Bible, except, this book goes much further. It traces its history to the earliest days. It helps readers to clearly distinguish reliable manuscripts from unreliable ones, all of which were used as a basis for giving us the Bibles of today, and one which has benefitted the English-speaking world as no other. It therefore details how the Authorized or King James Version has influenced English cultures across the globe, including religious revivals, education, science, technology, literature, and everyday phrases still in use to this day. This especially includes addressing the many unsubstantiated claims leveled against it, and remember, it has impacted our world like no modern version, none of which have even come close. Diminishing or even rejecting its One central character, Christ Jesus, is to invite confusion, and/or disillusionment into one’s life concerning the Scriptures. For those who reject Him as the only way to access Heaven via salvation is to deny themselves ultimate entry into Heaven. After all, He truly is the GREATEST OF ALL CAUSES.